Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Recording Preamp

I have never played through any other Mesa pres before so I cannot compare, but the sounds I get out of this are truly awesome!! I use the pre as a direct-in...into my 16 trk analog studio setup. I was especially blown away by the clean channel. I have never heard my guitar sound so natural - and I own a Fender 69 Princeton and a 66 Bassman that I mike with Neumann and AKG mics. This unit sounds so good that it has made me a better player because everything I play sounds great...so I am more inclined to take chances and be more creative. It literally lets me play at a higher level. It gets a 9, not a 10 because at extreme distorted levels, it can get a bit noisy, but then again the heavy tones cover up the noise and with tweaking during mixdown, the noise level can be, for the most part, hidden.

Brand new in 2003. 2 modes...Clean and Overdrive. One channel with switching between the 2 modes with front switch and supplied footswitch. Lots of other switches - raw/vintage/fat/clean/brit, etc, etc. Effects loop. All tube with all the control you can ask for. Studio or live use and a multitude of output options. Looks damn good too!!!

Don't know yet...I am hoping that all I have heard about Mesa is true.

Don't know yet...I am hoping that all I have heard about Mesa is true.

Been playing since seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan show in 64. I own a complete 16 track analog studio, inc keyboards, drum machines, electric, acoustic, etc. Highest Rating for sound quality!! It's got the 'Mesa sound' along with the best clean sound I have ever heard. It gets an 8 only because at a grand, it doesn't come cheap....But with that being said, I would definately but another - without a doubt!!!

yes its easy to use.

ok, as far as playing live ive played it alone through the stereo 100 power amp and a mesa cab and as far as i can tell it sounds pretty much like a triple rectifier. i also played it through a 50/50 and it sounded more like a dual rectifier. either way it kicked ass. i havent played in a band situation yet but id expect it to be the same. supposedly when its paired with the stereo 100 its the same circuitry as a triple rectifier. but, the reason i bought it was for the recording direct since i cant really mic up a cab in my apartment. this thing definitely smokes the pod from line 6 as it should for a thousand bucks. but its also not nearly as cool as a mic'ed cab. i run it through my avalon mic pre and i get a pretty good sound. that guy who submitted a review about palm mutes not working and it having a bad low end has a point...youre not gonna get the real heavy sound through it because the sound of the palm mutes is coming more from the cab than the amp. but that doesnt mean its nonexistant. you still get some dynamics out of it recording direct and the low end sound can be accomplished through eqing either through your mic pre or during mixing. so overall i think you get what you pay for. dont expect any miracles recording direct but if you play it live its just as good as the heads.

its new. it better work fine.

ive always gone to the mesa hollywood store and theyre pretty cool there.

Features: See other reviews below

This is determined by two very important factors: pick-ups and
here it comes: GOOD QUALITY TUBES!!
To make things clear, I don't have a rec pre, but a V-Twin which is
based on the rectifiers. The rec outs on the V-Twin are good as well,
but I found it in the beginning very dark and muddy sounding.
When I changed my Ibanez' guitars stock pu's into EMG's, and this
includes a EMG81 in the bridge, it improved sound quality enormously.
But still I found that palmmuted and single riff-notes on the lower
strings were lacking definition and a bit of articulation.
I got better results by backing gain of to 10-11 o'clock, and the
bass control about 9 o'clock. Also dialing in more mids, around
10 o'clock, improved the definition.
WHAT'S THE REASON OF FLABBY BASS AND MUDDINESS?: Mentioned already
the guitar pu's and also too high gain and/or bass control settings.
BUT: Mesa uses Mesa stock tubes, which are (unless it has changed
recently) chinese tubes. And these are known for not such good
quality, buzziness and flabbiness in the low end.
I swapped both of the v-twin tubes into JJ (former Tesla) ECC83S. AND
THIS DID IT!!!! Playing frantic riffs on the low strings, it sounds
soo well controlled and defined, I can even use higher bass control
settings if I wish, but the low end stays very tight.
The whole soundpalette is improved. My favorite sound is the
Metallica S&M sound and I'm getting very close to this. Using the
rec out, directly into soundcard. In CubaseSX I cut the 750Hz range
a lot, and there you are.
The whole sound is a bit in between rectifier and more Triaxis-like
sounds.
Other suggestions for tubes: NOS-tubes, Sovtek 12AX7 EH! (electro-
harmonix), make sure the EH-label is on them, because other Sovteks
like WA or WB are more flabby as well.
Hopefully some of you are helped with these tips.

Must be ok, as all Mesa gear is built like a tank.

In the past I 've contacted Mesa couple o' times, with some
questions about, changing the darkness and muddiness of my v-twin.
Michael responded always within one or two days, and gave a lot
of advice. This is what I call customer support!!

Although I haven't tried it, haven't seen it so far in Holland, I
definitely believe other reviews, that it's a very good device. The rec outs have been improved, compared to the V-twin's. And I find these already very usefull.
If you want more info, read reviews on the triaxis and find the review
of Maarten van Helden. You'll find a link to his website, with far
more details and descriptions on Mesa (and other) gear, all kinds
of tubes etc.

This a kick ass pre-amp.
You use any Mesa Boogie Power-amp, and you are ready to go!! you will get the same heavyness like Dual or Triple Rectifier sound....same thing!!
The Vintage on channel 2 is classic Rectifier sound, and the Modern mode is really compressed, Tight, and all Muscle sound and no Fat at all.
It is diverse and pretty versatile for any kind of music.
Distortion is what you get if you wanna have the rectifier sound....Trust me on htis shit, and don't be afraid to buy this animal.
Don't be afriad to buy this, even if you wanna use it for live purposes, coz it kicks ass and CRUNCHY!!.:)

This thing can make a cheap guitar sound like an expensive one. No kidding. My same cheap Yamaha Pacifica sounds magnificent through this amp but sounds cheap and digital on my POD 2.0. Just plug the guitar straight in and you've already got a decent tone happening.

The manual gives you some good setup examples for people who don't really know where to place the knobs for a particular style of music. The manual is helpful indeed.

On the dirt/distortion channel the sound quality is fat and creamy. No harsh fuzz happening here but although the modern distortion channel sounds smooth, it still cuts through a mix like butter. You can have the guitars right up in the mix and you won't need to be afraid of someone noticing a fake/chalky sound like the one you get from the POD because this baby IS the real deal and sounds like the real thing mic'ed up through a 4x12.

I've compared a double-tracked recording of power chords I did with it (using the direct recording outs) to Nikelback and Creed CD's and it sounds almost identical. Of course the 2 bands I mentioned have different EQ settings going on in their mixes but the distortion smoothness and transparency is identical. No question about that. I don't know what people are on when they say the distortion sux. Maybe they just don't like the Mesa sound period! If you like that Mesa sound you hear on big record label bands like Creed and Nikelback then this beast will deliver that exact professional quality with no flaws. The only difference would be the EQ settings going on in their mixes compared to yours.

The bass is tight and I proved this by moving around areas of my house with my monitors cranked up and the bass on my mixer set to +18. No bass notes were jumping out and sounding wobbly. This was even with my cheapie Yamaha Pacifica. Bass is Solid and tight. The bass in my guitar recordings using my POD 2.0 sounds wobbly and rumbly.

Clean channel is smooth and clear. Nothing to complain about.

I've been in search for a direct way to record distortion for years and I've finally found the sound I want to achieve. My guitar recordings can easily be handed over to an actual producer of a big project to use in a final mix. That's how much I believe they suffice. Of course the only thing standing in the way of them being used would be my actual guitar playing and whether or not it is acceptable on such a recordig. Tone-wise, NO PROB!

I've only had it for a short while and I only intend using it to record guitars in my studio for demos and possible final releases.

Haven't dealt with them yet but I will have to deal with them immediately since I seem to have a small problem with the "brit" setting on the clean channel 1. If I push the gain to 100% and play the guitar I hear a whistle and some white noise and the guitar tone goes to hell. If I keep it at a maximum of 95% the sound is fine. This may very well be the standard operation of the unit but I will check with Mesa if this is so. If not then I assume I would need to return it and get it checked out.

I play hard rock guitars and produce rock music for bands that seek it. I've worked out of many commercial studios in Sydney I've been producing for nearly 7 years now. I must say that this unit has taken away the necessity to go into an expensive studio to record a guitar through a head and cab.

If it were stolen I would definitely purchase it again since I think it is a major breakthrough product and stands in a class of its own. It gives me a sound I would otherwise need to spend a good few hours trying to achieve with a decent cab and mic in another studio. It's very convenient.

My favourite feature of this unit is channel 2 (dirt) and the "warm - record" mode that simulates the sound of the guitars coming through a good 4X12 Mesa cab with a good mic in a good room.

I wish it had multiple cab selections and other little tweakable air settings. Everything else is great.

I couldn't possible share anything else of my experience so far. I do know that I will making great guitar recordings with it in my own studio and that is a real godsend.

Easy as it gets

I give 5 for sound because it does clean sounds very well. Anything from very clean to OD clean it sounds EXCELLENT...but that's only 1/2 of the sounds...the other half (the distortion) SUCKS!!! I'm mainly talking about recording direct which this thing was made for. Otherwise I would have purchsed a normal amp head. I noticed that most of the high ratings were given by people who were using this with a cabinet...I still like the clean sound for direct recording, but the distortion sounds like crap. Forget about palm mutes cuz all you get is muffled booms...the low end is not tight at all!!! It sounds okay on the upper notes but low notes lack clarity and tightness. Overall, I expected a fatter distortion sound, but it sounds very thin...lacking tight low end. I've been playing guitar and working as a record producer for many major record labels for over 20 years and owned every amp modeling device on the market...and this sounds nothing like a mic'ed amp. Sounds like direct out from a normal amp head. I would wait for the next generation of POD's from Line 6. Hopefully the rack version of Vetta will come out soon. I think this is a great concept, but Mesa/Boogie needs to do more research on speaker simulations...especially if they're going to charge $999 for it. I really like the clean sounds but I couldn't justify paying the rediculous price for it. My advice...If you're gonna use a cabinet go with the normal Recto heads...If you wanna do direct recording look else where...

No problems yet

Again, not good for direct recording of distortion sounds. Clean sounds are excellent. However, the high price doesn't justify it. Plus I wasn't getting the mic'd speaker sound that I was promised. For studio applications, it's not very good. None of the distortion sounds are usable in real life studio situations unless you use a cabinet and mic it which then would defeat the whole purpose of buying a "Recording" amp. Now I gotta figure out how I'm gonna sell this thing...

I considered getting a triaxis but I prefer to dial in my sound. In this regard, the rec pre is very easy to user. Just like a using a head or combo. There is a bright live and warm record switch which seems unnecessary given this has dedicated recording and live outputs, but I found this useful to cut back highs when using the amp live to get a smoother tone.

The manual is very basic. It does not really explain how this preamp pairs with the matching power amp. But otherwise, it is sufficent.

My rig:
Gibson Les Paul Standard & ES335
Heritage "Les Paul"
Mesa Boogie Rec Pre
Mesa Boogie Rectifier Stero 2:100
Behringer 5 Band Parametric EQ
DBX Stereo 15 Band EQ
TC M One Effects (mostly for reverb)
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Mesa Boogie Rectifier STandard 4x12
Fender Super Reverb Combo
Keeley mod Boss Blues Driver
Keeley Compressor
THD Hot Plate

The clean channel is really sweet, especially the "fat" mode. I actually prefer it to my Super Reverb which also sounds great. The Modern mode on the high gain channel is typical Mesa Rectifier, i.e., awesome. The amp is absolutely quiet, even on the highest gain settings. You can pretty much get any other tone you want from this.

It replaced a Digitech GSP2101 which was a pain to program but had decent tone. This unit blow that away. I have no complaints.

Too soon to tell. I had a Mesa DC-3 for 7 years and had no problems with it. It seems very solid, the controls are smooth and switches are high quality.

Never had to call

I purchased it to get a good heavy metal tone, but find I am using it for other styles reserved for my Super Reverb. I was surprised by this because my DC-3 was so dark sounding. I find it to be very versatile so far. If you need lots of midi flexibility, you won't like this, but if you want simplicity and tone, then check it out.

This unit is capable of a significant range of sounds and any user should take time to hear the interaction of the controls. Definitely READ THE MANUAL as it explains in great detail how to get the best sounds. The manual is easy to understand and well written. It's especially important to understand the different configurations when setting up for "live" versus "recording" situations. I'm giving ease of use a "9" only because, if you're unfamiliar with Mesa, buyers unfamiliar with these amps need to understand the concepts applied to their equipment.

I'm using a rather basic setup with the Rec Pre: Rec Pre, Mesa 20/20 Power amp, Rocktron Multivalve, Rocktron Pro Q, Juice Goose Power Supply, Nobels MF-2 MIDI Controller and either a Dr. Z Z-Best Cab 2x12, 2 Mesa 1x10(s) or a Mesa 4x10 cab. The Multivalve is a nice fit with the Rec Pre as the sound quality is above average and it has Channel-Switching that works great for switching Channels or the Solo Boost on the Rec Pre with MIDI. I would not recommend using the Multivalve with the Effects Loop as the sound loses a lot of clarity when patched in this way. I assume it's the fault of the Multivalve. LIVE SOUND: I send the Live output into the Multivalve then in to the 20/20. (The Pro Q is used occassionally, if further tone-shaping is needed). I'm tremendously impressed with every aspect of this Preamp. The clean sound is fantastic - much better IMHO than the clean on the Triaxis. The three clean modes are all usable, with some ability to get dirty when the gain and mid controls are dialed up. The Lead sounds are also great. At first, I wasn't thrilled with the "Raw" setting, but after some time, I've found it the most enjoyable to use. It's extremely touch-sensitive - great for Blues. The Vintage and Modern are the higher gain lead sounds and are typical Mesa distortion quality. They clean up well when you turn down your guitar volume and noise is very low. As mentioned in a previous review, the pickups used make a big difference in the overall sound quality. The pickups in my Anderson Drop Top sound incredible, it's almost like they tested the unit with Anderson pickups. But, my Heritage 535 with Duncans sound very dark through this preamp, so the settings change quite a bit to get the sound I'm after.
RECORDED SOUND: I recorded this preamp into my Tascam 788 direct using the recording outputs - no Multivalve. Mesa is not lying when they said it sounds and feels like you're playing through a Mic'd Stack. The finished product sounded awesome - I just added a bit of reverb and adjusted the mix somewhat. The true measure of a great preamp is it's clean sound and this preamp's clean is the new standard for all other's to be judged! Really, really cool. The Lead sound is not to be denied either - true Rectifier crunch!

Saddam's home should be made like this!

Excellent and friendly support. I have several Mesa products and have never had a problem. When I've had a question, they were easy to reach and very helpful.

I'm very pleased with this purchase. I wanted a new preamp for recording and didn't want to "Model", I wanted a true Tube sound. This was the right choice! Anyone not into the Mesa sound should give this preamp a try - you might change your mind!

This is my third Mesa Boogie amplifier and while I have loved the first two, this one is one of the worst purchases I have made in twenty years.

Using it as a direct recording pre-amp, it sounds only slightly better than the direct outs found on the back of most amps. While the distortion does have a smoothness about it, the decay sounds more like a buzzy cheap transistor fuzz box than a tube amp.

The lower notes tend to be the most problematic and you simply can't get that tight excursion that you get when you crank up a good amp with speakers.

The clean channel is great, but that's not why I bought this amp. I wanted a gritty, high gain tube pre amp that I could crank up late at night. I have found a better solution with an isolation cabinet.

One use I have found for this is as it does seem to add warmth to a pod when you record both simaltaneously. As a stand alone amp I would never record with it though.

I also found that of you run the outputs into the the Old Valve program of an Eventide 7000, the tone also becomes more usable but this is a pretty expensive solution.

I will be a lot more careful in the future before buying another Boogie product.

Three high gain and three clean settings that all sound about the same.

It's got some knobs and switches.

Man, that's what I'm talking about! I mostly run a Jackson Soloist SL2H into the Rec Pre which goes into a g-major then direct into my Echo Gina. I don't use the effects loop on the Pre. The direct sound is AMAZING...definitely the best I've ever heard and tried direct. The Cleans are crystal and the crunch is MESA all the way. I've used a Digitech 2120, Pod, Marshall JMP-1 and some of the Zoom stuff in search of direct tone and let me tell you the Rec Pre nails it like no other. There's not a hint of digital harshness when used direct alone and a little harshness when used direct with the G-major. I mostly use G-major for the noise gate, light delay and light reverb. How's the live sound? Pretty damn good. I AB'd the Rec Pre with my Single Rectifier Solo head and it's really close. I ran the Rec Pre into my Mesa 20/20 and later into the effects loop of the Rectifier using it as a power amp. It sounded better with the 20/20 which suprised me because I have EL34's in the Rectifier and have used that before as a great sounding power amp to the JMP-1 and the 2120. The Rectifier seems to have more usable gain though as the Rec Pre starts to sound gained out past 7. Personally, I run both the Rec Pre and the Rectifier between 4 and 6 and that's PLENTY of chunky gain. The Clean is sparkling with tons of head room. FAT is OK for warming up a thin Strat. BRIT sounds nothing like a Marshall, if that's what MESA s trying to do here, but it's got some nice tone. On the other channel, I don't use RAW much as I stay mostly in VINTAGE. MODERN on the Rec Pre is cool in that it doesn't blow you out of the room when you switch to it -MESA Recifier owners know what I'm talking about! I actually like MODERN on the Rec Pre better than on the Rectifier because it sounds less edgy. Kudos to MESA and their design engineers..this is one awesome preamp!

so far so good. Hey, it's MESA.

One outstanding preamp!